Oregon Convention Center building outdoor plaza in Northeast Portland on Sizzler block once considered site of headquarters hotel

View full sizeCourtesy Oregon Convention CenterRendering of the new plaza being built across from the Oregon Convention Center in Northeast Portland.

The vacant block directly across Northeast Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the Oregon Convention Center -- once the potential site of a headquarters hotel -- has been leveled to make way for an outdoor plaza.

A Sizzler restaurant sat on the block until it closed about five years ago and the Portland Development Commission bought the land.

"In 2009, after the discussions with the city and the county trying to figure out the headquarters hotel package fell apart, we decided to take another look at that block and spruce it up," said Teri Dresler, general manager of visitor venues.

Planners came up with an idea to create a public plaza -- not a public park -- but a place that could be used as an open space by the community some of the time and also be used as a rental space for conventions that want outdoor space.

Convention center representatives have talked with the Lloyd District Business Association about community needs and envision the plaza could be used for outdoor concerts, a farmers market and other neighborhood activities. During the day, the 30,000-square-foot grass-and-concrete plaza will be a place for convention-goers to slip outside for fresh air and for Lloyd District workers to take their lunch.

For the convention center, the plaza will be a site for events such as car shows, or many of the opening night receptions that kick off conventions. The 11,000 square feet of concrete space is designed for booths and tents. Electricity and water services will be hooked up to make food services and music accessible, Dressler said.

The cost of the renovation, currently under way, is $600,000. The convention center had hoped to have the work done by July but thinks it will be September before it's complete.